Marden ($4.60) ended a frustrating sequence of five successive minor placings when he eventually got the better of Now I See ($7) to win by three-quarters of a length with favourite Sindarin ($3.80) four lengths away third.

Sydney's premier trainer Chris Waller took his tally of winners this season to 99.5 - with Marden's breakthrough and cracked the ton soon after when She's Clean won.

"He's been going well without winning, so it was good to see him win today," Waller said.

Waller said Marden has been up a while and is coming to the end of his preparation but would consider setting him for the Listed $100,000 Randwick City Stakes (2200m) at Warwick Farm on March 9.

Robl agreed with Waller that Marden appreciated having galloping room as the field swung for home.

"I think I've ridden him a bit too 'pretty' at his last couple of starts," Robl said.

"So the plan today wasql to get going on him beforeql the turn and he kept grinding away."

The track was rated a slow 7 before the race but riders to a man said the going was definitely heavy.

"It is heavy, a genuine heavy," Robl said.

Racing NSW stewards conducted another track inspection after the race and downgraded the track rating to a heavy 9.

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